A little more than a month after making history as the first-ever woman to be named to an NHL coaching staff, Jessica Campbell was in the Okanagan preparing for a charitable hockey match that took place Friday.
Campbell is from Saskatchewan, but she previously spent time playing and coaching in the Okanagan on separate occasions.
“This is where my hockey journey really took off and catapulted to Team Canada when I moved out here in high school to attend a hockey Academy, and then I returned here as a coach when I first started,” said Campbell.
The Seattle Kraken assistant coach played two seasons in the Pursuit of Excellence (POE) program (now known as the Rink Hockey Academy (RHA) Kelowna).
Campbell then went on to play four years at Cornell University before making the jump to the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with the Calgary Inferno.
Following her playing career, which included a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2015 Women’s World Championships, Campbell began coaching.
Campbell joined RHA Kelowna as an assistant coach in the 2017-18 campaign, where she would spend two years with the U18 female prep team before joining the Okanagan Hockey Academy in the 2019-20 season.
After spending time in Kelowna, Europe and the United States coaching, most recently with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, an affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, Campbell received her call to the NHL.
“What she's doing for the game and women's hockey and everything – it's amazing,” said Hall of Famer Shea Weber.
“She's well deserving and earned her spot and I think it's such a cool thing for young girls and everyone to see how well she's done.”
Campbell is set to go to Seattle shortly to prepare for the season, and the start date is coming up fast.
“It's getting close. It's very close, and obviously, the excitement's getting higher and higher, but yeah, there's a lot of work,” she said.
“There's a lot that goes into the preparation and preseason. So just focusing on getting all of the things, you know, my ducks in a row and excited to meet our staff here in Seattle (in) just a couple weeks.”
While her position with the Seattle Kraken will be new to her, there will be some familiarity as the team’s coach was previously with Campbell on the Coachella Valley bench.
Another familiar sight will be some of the players who previously spent time playing with the Firebirds before moving up to the NHL with the Kraken.
“You think about all the young kids you first stepped on the ice with and showing up for them at 6 am and doing the hard work and all the people along the way that helped you get to this spot," she said.
“That's what I think about, and that's where my excitement's all about right now, and kind of carrying that torch for everyone to be part of, but really looking forward to getting things going in Seattle and having the familiarity of working with Dan Bylsma again and our staff.”
While in the Okanagan, Campbell spent time with Kelowna High Performance, a group she had previously worked with in prior offseasons.
“Jess and I have crossed paths a little bit at these camps,” said Tyler Myers, current Vancouver Canucks defenceman.
“This is where we met, and to see what she's done with her career, and where she's got herself to, it's pretty amazing to see.”
And it was those run-ins with NHL players that led Campbell to chase her goal of one day being in the NHL.
“It was moments early on in skating with those guys where they were showing up and that was honestly a moment for me when I realized I want to chase this dream,” Campbell explained.
“I can coach at this level, and if they're showing up, they're getting value out of this. And that really inspired me to continue down my path and to be motivated to chase these goals.”
The Seattle Kraken open the 2024-25 season at home against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8.
